• Belarus pardon for German hints at wider prisoner swap
• Kroeger was arrested in October on charges of acting as a mercenary and planting explosives
• His death sentence became widely known only last week, but Lukashenko’s intervention has commuted it to life imprisonment
• The case’s sudden attention and Kroeger’s swift pardon have sparked speculation about a potential high-profile prisoner swap involving Germany and Russia

Belarus pardon for German hints at wider prisoner swap

Belarus’s authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, has pardoned German citizen Rico Kroeger, who had been sentenced to death. Kroeger was arrested in October on charges of acting as a mercenary and planting explosives. His death sentence became widely known only last week, but Lukashenko’s intervention has commuted it to life imprisonment, sparing him from execution.

The case’s sudden attention and Kroeger’s swift pardon have sparked speculation about a potential high-profile prisoner swap involving Germany and Russia, a close ally of Belarus. Recently, Kroeger appeared on Belarusian state TV, tearfully pleading for help in a staged confession under duress, claiming he was directed by Ukrainian intelligence to plant explosives in Belarus.

Belarusian state media have lauded Lukashenko’s decision, contrasting his “merciful” nature with criticisms of Germany’s perceived abandonment of Kroeger. This move may be part of Lukashenko’s recent overtures toward the West, following his brutal crackdown on opposition protests in 2020 and support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

There is speculation that Kroeger’s pardon might be linked to a broader prisoner exchange, potentially involving Russian FSB assassin Vadim Krasikov, currently imprisoned in Germany, and American journalist Evan Gershkovich, detained in Russia on espionage charges.